Soap-cutting machine



A. VANHAAGEN.

Cutting Soap.

No. 13,368. Patented July 31, 1855.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

A. VAN HAAGEN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

SOAP-CUTTING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 13,368, dated July 31, 1855.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTON VAN HAAGEN, of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, Ohio, have invented new and useful Machinery for Cutting Soap; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification.

I so construct my soap cutting machine as in a few minutes to convert the frame or block of soap into bars of any'desired size and much more neat-1y and accurately than is now done by hand, and with more than tenfold the rapidity and'ease.

I have found by experience, that in order, to effect the above objects successfully by means of machinery, several matters have to be provided for; among the most important of these are as follows: An imitation of the hand action in applying the cutting wire as regards the easy looping of the wire at the first presentation; for if the wire is applied at first with its full tension instead of first penetrating the corners, and being drawn gradually into the more middle portions, wire enters at once throughout its length without forming suflicient loop, and being easily deflected up or down, slabs of unequal thickness and bars of unequal weight are formed, beside which the wire passes down through the soap and is apt to snap.

Another advantage resulting from the easy looping and gradual entry of the wire is that a thinner wire can be used, and thus the soap be cut more easily and evenly than can be done with a thicker wire. For instance I employ in my shop No. 25 spring wire which is even thinner than the wire employed by hand. The fact of thicker wire being needed in the hand use may be attributed to the comparatively less steady and uniform tension upon the wire, and the shifting of the loop to different parts of its length, as one or other end is drawn most forcibly. To remedy this serious defect it is desirable to have at the first impact of the wire with the soap a tension no more than sufiicient to prevent the sagging of the wire, and after its entry to gradually increase the tension. This desired gradual strain of the wires I accomplish by the spring attachments hereafter described.

Another valuable result attained by my invention is the slabbing and barring of a block of soap upon one machine without handling or shifting the soap affected by my plan for horizontal slabbing and the combined action of the horizontal tiers of slabbing and barring wires. Not only is considerable time and labor saved but what is of more importance there is an absolute identity of size and weight in the bars and there is avoided the liability of mashing the surface, bruising the corners and edges and bending out of shape which always takes place more or less in handling large thin pieces of soap.

\Vhere, as is commonly the case, the slabs after being out are separated and afterward tiered for barring the warping of the slabs is quite observable, and they cannot be brought to lie as evenly as they did in the original tier, and cannot be barred so accurately.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is aside elevation of my machine. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the back end. Fig. 8 is a top view. Fig. 4 represents the gage plate.

(a) is a suitable wooden frame.

(3)) is a pair of bars forming a track or guide way for a carriage or sliding table This carriage is scored at top by grooves (1) in a transverse direction the bottoms of the grooves following a cylindrical form that is sinking lower toward the side edges as represented for the purpose of allowing the looped wire to pass entirely through the block of soap and sink a short distance be low the top surface of the carriage.

((Z) is a piece I call the driver, its object being to force the soap through the wires. This driver is scored across its face similarly to the carriage and with the same object. The driver is propelled by means of racks (e) and pinions worked by means of a winch the bars h to which the racks are attached sliding within grooves in the sills (y) confine the driver to its direct course.

(2') is a thong of india rubber, which, being attached near the back of the frame at (3) and passed around a pulley (7') is secured to the driver and effects its automatic retraction, after having performed its work.

(is) are wires stretched horizontally in a vertical range from post (Z) to post (Z) of the frame by means of straining pins (1%), and held to a slight degree of tension by means of a spring slotted (4) along its midwidth, to permit the passage of the wires and allow of their change of distance as may be required. The wires are adjusted and held to the desired distance from each other by means of a pair of notched gage plate sunk in the frame and one of which is represented at Fig. 4, and is notched to correspond to every usual size or a distinct pair of gage plates may be employed for each size.

(70 m 'nlr) represent a similar arrangement of vires stretched horizontally and. lying in a horizontal range from rail to rail (0) of a gate (0 0 p), and confined to a vertical motion by the posts of the frame. This gate with its horizontal range of wires, is, when out of action, brought and held to its highest position, by means of thongs and pulleys similar to those which are employed to retract the slabbing driver. The gate is brought into action by racks and pinions (e f) similar to those which actuate the driver.

(q r s t) is an appliance I call my loading truck; the plat-form (g) is of size adequate to support a block of soap in its longer edgethat is, in the same position that it stands in its mold or frame.

(8) are two rack bars of such distance apart, as to be capable of just straddling the frame and can be run to and fro by gearing (1').

(t) are casters.

The operation is as follows: The truck (9 r s 25) being wheeled up beside a block of soap from which the sides of its frame have been removed; the rack bars (8) are run back so as to pass on each side of the mold bed, and the driver (u) being inserted in a pair of the holes ('0), the motion of the bars is then reversed, and the driver pressing against the block, pushes it onto the platform (q) and the loaded truck, being then wheeled up to the position indicated by Figs. 2 and 8, the block of soap is, by means again of the driver in the manner before described shifted onto the carriage (0) within the machine which being driven forward with its load as before described, the soap is divided into slabs by the wires (70) and then without being shifted the entire tier of slabs is cut up into bars by the descent of the gate (0 0 p.)

The advantages of this improvement are of a very decided character; there is a saving of at least 90 per cent. over the hand labor, and the work is more neatly and perfectly accomplished, there being so great a uniformity in the bars in the factory where the machine is employed it is thought no longer necessary to weigh the individual boxes.

I claim as new and of my invention 1. The arrangement and combination substantially as described of a series of wires for cutting soap, said wires being stretched by means of springs, for the easy formation of a loop at the commencement of cutting and gradual increase of tension until the wire has entered the block.

2. The combination substantially as described of grooved carriage grooved driver, stationary and vertical range of horizontal wires, and descending horizontal range of horizontal wires, for the purpose of slabbing and barring a block of soap without handling the latter after it is once placed upon the machine. I

8. The bed or carriage and driver scored transversely by grooves adapted to the loop of the wires for the purposes explained.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto set my hand before two subscribing witnesses.

A. VAN HAAGEN.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. KNIGHT, THOS. W. SCOTT. 

